Gift card scam

[alf7536]

I received a call on my mobile this after from a person sounding like an Indian who said that my account will be debited $200 for a gift card that I had ordered. I did not at any time order an eBay gift card. THe phone number indicates that the cal was made from Adelaide but that may also be false. Just be aware, people.

[hemre-92]

I had got a call from this number(08 6146 2480) saying I have ordered an ebay gift card worth $299 and get back to them to cancel the order. Later they were asking for App store details, probably they were trying to hack.

[porcelain_dolls_by_me]

I get there calls occasionally and I simply tell them that as I have several eBay account, which account was used for the purchases.

Similar tactic when I get the scam calls about my internet logging multiple errors, etc.  Just ask them for my IP address that is at fault - they soon hang up.

[amyyoonmi]

I just got a call from +61 2 40620128 (New Castle ,NSW), I didn't answer but left a recorded voice message saying something about my order. When I returned a call, Indian man answered and I can hear many voices on the phone at the background. This man asked how can I help, and I said I am returning my call. He said someone from overseas just ordered E-Bay Gift Card worth $300 and asking me if this was me or my family member. He wanted to go through cancellation process and asked me to search something on playstore. I asked him if you are from ebay, provide me with some form of information about me such as my ebay login id or my name. All he knew was my phone number and he accused me of not listening to him. I asked him to email me with cancellation form and he said he can't do it. I sand I can't trust him calling from ebay and hung up. I think this was scam. I would like to report it, who can I report it to? 

[countessalmirena]

@amyyoonmi,

You did the right thing in refusing to give information to this scammer, and in hanging up.

However, just as a heads'-up, it isn't the best course of action to return such a call in the first place. (I would recommend never calling back in response to such a voicemail.)

You can report the intended scam to Scamwatch.

There is little point in attempting to report it to eBay, but I'll give you the link nonetheless. eBay cannot prevent anyone from pretending to be eBay. You can (and should) read the eBay Help page about Recognising phishing phone calls and emails - a relatively new eBay Help page which I daresay has been created especially as a result of complaints from eBay members who may have fallen victim to such calls and emails. The page says:

❝Phishing phone calls

eBay is unlikely to make unannounced calls to you about your account.

If you receive a missed call from someone purporting to be from eBay, do not call the number back.

If you're unsure whether the request was genuine or not, check your eBay Messages as we will have also sent you an email.❞

(Rubrication mine.)

On the same page, it's suggested that you report the call to eBay - but eBay can't actually do anything about it. Ah well; it will at least give you the feeling of having done what you can.

❝Report a phishing phone call or email

If you receive a suspicious phone call or email, you should report it to us immediately. Here's how:

Suspicious phone call

1. Tell the caller that you'll call back through official eBay contact channels. If you missed the call, do not call the number back.
2. Email us at spoof@ebay.com.au with details of what the caller asked for, and the phone number they called from.❞

Bear in mind that scammers can pretend to be representing whatever company they wish. There are well-known Internal Revenue / Tax Office scams, police scams, bank scams, and goodness only knows who else. BE CAUTIOUS - and only contact eBay using the official contact methods. If in doubt, post here and there will always be some excellent guidance available.

[princesstigerlilycat]

Pretty sure I just got this call too - apparently $399 of gift cards were purchased yesterday (but not showing in my purchase history).  

[maeeye]

Well i think my scammers used you all to hone their craft, you see they gog me well and truly i will never understand how i let them suck me in, but they did.

They used all of the tricks in this thread but in a larger finely tuned scam.

I was to find out that ebay was no help at all, through the only contact i could get them with, the chat window,,i learnt there isnt a ph number for ebay australia. I now feel if we not valued dnough to even have a half way decent mode of contact then they can shove it..after many yesrs of being an ebayer, i am no longer.

The scammers got me for a very large amount and i will just say my bank are to be commended, they carried no fault in this drama but they reimbursed me my lost funds. Pretty unheard of hey.

The damage was done through me downloading z remote access app for them to get on to my oh..mind you i didnt know what the app did and when asked they came up with something very plausible, which i cant recall. The wholecprocess went on for hours.

So dont dohbt your instincts, be very very alert, i wasnt and i paid dearly.

Maeeye

[davewil1964]

It is nothing to do with eBay. It could have been Amazon or any other online selling site.

You didn't end up out of pocket, so you didn't end up paying dearly.

[countessalmirena]

@maeeye,

You are very fortunate indeed to have had your payment reversed, presumably by your bank.

By what you say, you suspected that something was wrong but still went ahead. I'm sure that in that case, you have been asking yourself over and over, "Why on earth did I download a remote access app?" That's a major mistake on your part, as you seem to acknowledge. I hope you have got a good IT professional to clear your device and ensure that the app has no remnants remaining.

I'm glad for your sake that you were able to get back your funds.

Your comments about eBay phone support are off course, though. eBay phone support has been inactive since quite soon after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, for obvious reasons.

There is still help available, through eBay Chat; however, what you have described has nothing to do with eBay, and everything to do with some scammers pretending to be eBay, just as they might pretend to be Bank of Scotland, or Donald Trump, or Investments R Us, or Reserve Bank of Australia, or Bill Gates Big Money Opportunities, or the Australian Taxation Office, or your grandmother, or your children, or your best friend kidnapped in the Maldives, or whoever it may be.

You can't stop someone with nefarious purposes from pretending to be someone else. You can only be exercising due caution.

Best of luck with your future purposes, and I hope all goes well.

[jellybirddesigns]

My son and my husband do not have an Ebay accounts yet still get calls claiming to be from "Ebay" and trying to get them to talk to them.

Since there are millions of people who have Ebay accounts, the scammers just try their luck and assume you have one. It has zero to do with Ebay - they cannot control who gets your number and from where. There are data breaches every day around the world, including Australia, where your personal information has been compromised and sold on to third party scammers. There are scam companies that dial every number in the book with a guarantee of getting a response sooner or later.

Every day I am gobsmacked that people fall for these scams or download random software or apps just because a random stranger calls them. Just do not answer the phone from numbers you do not recognise and never call them back either.

[sandypebbles]

Even if you do leave eBay as you say you will (who, as mentioned have zero to do with it) just be aware you will still get the same scam calls

Especially now you are on the scammer's radar of people who will happily go along with whatever a scammer tells them to do

Not using eBay is not going to stop them calling , they have about as much to do with eBay as a vending machine on a train station platform does